Destiny Wings
by Droory
Summary: After Jupiter Lighthouse Sheba's life gets more difficult, especally when new feelings start to become more apparent. A windshipping fic requested by Mr. E Box so very, very, long ago.
1. Chapter 1

_**Let's try and enjoy it!  
This one's for you Mr. E Box!**_

* * *

The crow's nest was a fantastic little refuge on board the Lemurian ship. The wind, filled with the scent of the seas, fish and salt, blew against bodies gently, cleaning out their lungs with each breath. The seas stretched out around for miles, the glittering sparkling blue that would fade to a sombre and calming orange and purple as the sun began to kiss the horizon. The beauty of it all was so simple that many wondered how they had ever lived without experiencing it just once. Best of all, this little place was so far from the others on deck leaving whoever was upon the small platform alone with their thoughts.

Currently, it was the young Laliveran princess who occupied the small refuge, her golden blonde hair fluttering about her tan features in the gentle wind, her verdant eyes reflecting the sparkling sea as she looked out. She did so quite often, as a Jupiter Adept being so high up made her feel quite in touch with her element, and her mind was always active, so the peace helped her settle her thoughts, especially when she got those unwanted visions. She wouldn't have minded them if she could control it as Master Hama seemed to be able, but they just happened, and it hurt.

It hadn't happened in a while so she was calm enough, but there was something else eating at her mind. There was four more upon this ship with them now. That wasn't a bad thing necessarily, it meant their chances of survival were greater, so she didn't need to worry as much. Still, it was four more minds… she wasn't fully in control of her Psynergy as it was, or, more precisely, not in control of her Mind Read.

It hadn't been a problem up until now, it was easy to avoid accidentally prying into someone's inner thoughts if she focused herself before approaching them, but now there was more of a chance that she may run into someone and see something she knew she shouldn't. Often it was nothing jarring or personal, but it was still an unwanted invasion into someone's life, and she didn't like betraying her first friends like that, especially when it _was_ something personal. She'd seen secrets and feelings she knew belonged _just_ to that person.

It was difficult, but it was her lot in life. A Jupiter Adept's standard blessing and curse. Perhaps, when this quest was over she could return to Contigo and study under Master Hama while she tried to find any evidence of her family. She seemed fully in control of what she was doing, so she should be able to help. She had taught her some meditation techniques to help calm her in the short time they shared… and she was Ivan's sister… so that meant he could help too, right?

Ivan… he was one of the four new minds aboard the ship, a Jupiter Adept like her too. He didn't seem to share her problems, he seemed to thrive in social situations, being the heart of conversations, the life and spark of comedy that everyone enjoyed. He had even made Felix laugh a bit in the short time he was here, and that was an achievement, it was rare to hear Felix laugh.

She was rather jealous of Ivan, spiteful even. It wasn't that she didn't like him, quite the opposite, she greatly enjoyed his company. It was just… he was everything she wished to be. Easier going, in control… he had family. Occasionally these thoughts got the best of her and she treated him poorly, she didn't mean it, but she didn't apologise either, not right away. He didn't seem to mind.

Maybe he could help her be more like him, because with the proper preparation she could often be like him. She had been shy when she began this quest, quiet and withdrawn, scared of what her life was becoming. Slowly, though, she began to open up, mainly thanks to her months with Jenna, and became a new person. She could be sociable and fun, but it was just so hard because of her affliction.

The young blonde wiped a stray tear from her cheek, realising that dwelling on these thoughts was doing nothing for her. Thinking of all this would just put her in a sour mood and achieve nothing in her want to be in control of her Psynergy. She looked down from the nest, away from the horizon and to the deck below as voices caught her attention. Felix had been piloting the ship north, but two more bodies came from the cabin: Piers and Ivan.

Sheba snickered when she heard the topic of the conversation, it seemed Ivan had discovered that Piers was older than he appeared and was curious as to the actual age of the man. Something they had in common then, Sheba had often tried to get him to reveal such a secret bit he was far too protective of it that even her accidental prying didn't reveal any hint of it.

Preparing her mind as she made to join them, Sheba slid down the ladder and leapt from the roof of the cabin to join in with Ivan's line of questioning, snickering all the way. As she reached them, she was surprised to see Piers' brow furrowed in obvious frustration as Ivan smiled and assaulted him with questions.

_"Did he tell you?"_ Sheba chirped quickly, _"You know I've been trying to find out for months! He just won't tell me, no matter what I try. Did you get him too though? How old is he? How did you get him to tell you? Did you tell him, Piers? If not, why didn't you? How old are you really? Would you be a wrinkly old man I you weren't a Lemurian?"_

Piers was always fun, and she was kind of sorry that she was compelled to torture him like this. There was no malice or ill-will toward him, Piers had become one of her best friends. He was always there to calm her down, or cheer her up, or reassure her, and he always know how to do it. She didn't really want to get him so mad, but it was fun, and she had a sneaking suspicion that somewhere Piers enjoyed it too.

_"Nah, he didn't tell me, he's being mean." _Ivan flashed a grin to Sheba as a means of answer and greeting, before turning back to Piers,_ "C'mon, Picard, tell me. I promise I won't tell anyone but Sheba, it'll be our little secret, c'mon, tell us. Are you like forty or four hundred, huh? Are you older than Kraden? You should make him treat you like an elder that'll teach him for saying we don't respect _our_ elders."_

_"You do not."_ Piers spoke loudly, exhaling deeply, _"Felix, if you would please tell them that this line of questioning is off limits, I would be most grateful."_

Their leader turned around, tossing his ebony locks behind him as he smirked at his friend, _"I'd love to, Piers, however, I am curious as to your true age as well. If you want them to cease you shall have to deal with it yourself."_ He nodded to the Jupiter Adepts, knowing they greatly appreciated his answer.

_"Okay, I'll only tell Sheba _and_ Felix. That's it. Promise. Well, maybe Jenna too, since she's the one who told me about it. And that's it."_ Ivan announced gleefully at Felix's response.

_"You are like children."_

_"And you're like an old man in a young man's body!"_ Sheba countered.

Piers sighed heavily, passing a hand down his face shutting his eyes tight, hiding the yellow sheen behind his lids, _"I shall have to inform Jenna that for every minute of torture I receive from you two, I shall make her pay."_

_"You'll not do anything to my sister, Piers!"_ Felix called back over his shoulder, _"Mutiny would occur quite quickly and you would be tossed overboard rather fast, mon capitaine."_

_"Garet then!"_ Piers responded angrily, still being assaulted with a constant stream of questioning from the Jupiter Adepts.

Felix nodded, smirking as he heard Piers storm away, _"That's fine!"_

Sheba was caught in a fit of giggles by the time Piers had slammed the door leading below deck. It was rare to get Piers so frustrated, even she had never achieved it when she asked him of Piers' age. Seems Ivan knew how to push his buttons just right. Ivan beside her was in his own huddle on the ground laughing away. It seemed that the two of them would become friends quite quickly.

_"Thanks for that, Felix."_ Sheba commented, beaming to the leader from behind, _"Didn't think you'd let us."_

Felix was always nice to Sheba, very nice. Ever since Sheba had confessed her weakness to him he had done his best to ensure that any moments of joy she had lasted. He had been so understanding and attentive toward her as she expressed her problems, like he knew just what she was going through. She loved him for that. He was like the older brother she never had… though she often saw him in another light, a light that more often than not resulted in her avoiding his powerfully kind eyes for all of an hour so he would not see the flush of colour in her cheeks.

_"You're welcome, Sheba. I think it is good for Piers, he tries to compose himself too often, now at least his frustration can be let out."_ Felix replied, turning his eyes back to the seas before them.

Sheba smirked as she held her hand out to Ivan, _"C'mon, you, up." _She commanded.

Ivan grasped her hand, but only rose to one knee, before planting a kiss on the back of her hand, _"Anything for you, milady. Your wish is my command."_

Sheba blushed heavily as she bit her lip, she knew Ivan was joking, she could hear him chuckling, _"I wish for you to get up."_ She said, steeling herself and trying to will the heat out of her cheeks.

Ivan shot up within a second, smirking and leaning back against the rails o the Lemurian ship, _"Granted. You only have two left now, master. Choose them wisely."_

Sheba's furrowed her brow, confused, she didn't understand what exactly Ivan's line of thought was here, and she wasn't sure if she wanted to either, so she pushed it off, not wanting her confusion to allow her control to slip and for her to delve into his mind. Already, Ivan had turned his attention to the sky above, his hair caught in the sea breeze as he watched a lone cloud drift across the expanse of blue.

Shaking her head, she took a seat on the bench that was against the cabin wall, leaning back and scanning the surroundings. Monster attacks were commonplace aboard this ship, and she didn't much like the idea of something trying to break the peaceful and cheery mood on deck at the moment. Finding nothing of interest in the first thirty seconds, she found her eyes fall upon Ivan who was still cloud-gazing.

_"Hey, Ivan."_ She asked, a previous comment coming to mind. The boy turned with a grin, awaiting her words, _"What did you call Piers?"_

Ivan seemed unsure of the question for a moment, before realisation came into his eyes, _"Oh, you mean when I called him Picard?"_

Sheba nodded, _"Yeah, what's that about?"_ She had nicknames for Piers, but they all had something to do with him, captain, or old man, stuff like that.

_"Piers is the captain of this ship, right?"_ Ivan asked, though clearly just as a way to lead into his answer, so Sheba nodded, _"Lady Layana gave me a book about an explorer who sailed all around Weyard to learn about it. He was called Captain Picard. It seems kind of like Piers is doing, doesn't it? So it fits. Don't tell him this story though, that'll take away all the fun behind it."_

Okay, that was a much more genius nickname than any of hers. That actually had solid backstory and reasoning, as opposed to her flimsy pretexts, _"Oh, that makes sense. Do you have the book with you?"_

Ivan smirked, _"No, sorry, though you could just read my mind if you want to know what it's all about. I wouldn't mind."_

Sheba swallowed, feeling her weakness dig deeper into her at his words, _"Um… N-no, that's okay… maybe when this is all done with, I could just get the book off of you."_

_"Sure!"_ Ivan chirped happily, _"I'll even read it to you as you fall asleep each night."_

Sheba made to respond… or retort, she wasn't sure what she was going to say to that, but Isaac walked out on deck announcing to them that the others had finished preparing dinner for all of them. Only now did Sheba realise the extent of the hunger within her, considering how long she had spent up alone in the crow's nest. She and Ivan quickly bounded inside, but Isaac continued forward to Felix's side.

* * *

He set his eyes on the back of his head, despite their past differences, everything that had happened between them, things that had been said or wished, they were still friends on some level, and now they were teammates, _leaders_, and above all else, he was Jenna's sister. Still he couldn't help but get a little apprehensive as he drew closer to the ebony haired Adept, as of now they were practically equals in all forms… though he suspected that Felix knew more than he let on.

_"Felix."_ Isaac said simply as he reached his side, turning his eyes to the ocean beneath them after passing a glance over the man in question.

_"Isaac."_ Was Felix's stern, level, reply.

For a moment or two there was nothing between them save for the sounds of the sea, birds, and their companions in the cabin enjoying their meal. Isaac exhaled slowly, they had been in close proximity to one another since teaming up, and, other than the conversation in Contigo, they had not spoken. Isaac knew it was time to change that if they wanted any hope of survival.

_"I'm sorry, Felix."_

Felix shook his head, glancing at the blonde for just a second, _"Don't apologise."_

_"No, I am. Everything over the past few years, for thinking so little of you. For thinking you had changed so much, become some kind of monster. In hindsight I probably should have realised that you were not so low as to want to restore Alchemy for the fun of it or for some greedy intent. I was just blinded by everything… maybe I didn't want to dare hope that when you had been saved the others had too… that my father had. Maybe I just let myself believe everything to make it easier, and I blamed you, not Saturos, not Menardi, _you_ and I'm sorry."_ Isaac's words tumbled out of his mouth fast. He didn't take time to think about them, he knew that if he did he would shut himself up and the silence between them would continue for several more days.

Felix sighed, dropping his head and passing a hand across his eyes, _"In truth, I would have preferred it stay like that, and I don't blame you." _Isaac cocked an eyebrow in response this time, an act which had Felix chuckle within when he realised the similar situation, _"I never wanted to involve any of you in this, Saturos and Menardi forced you all into it and I had to play along. Had you not been in the Sanctum that day all would have been well. Had we explained you may have believed us, you may not, but I never tried. So, I forgive you, and apologise for my own mistakes."_

Isaac found himself smiling as Felix spoke, an outcome he had not expected of this conversation. They had both led themselves to believe something in order to do what they had to, no doubt were it not so serious or if they were still children they would be laughing about it right now, _"Apology accepted. You know… Garet always said you couldn't have changed. He's believed in you from the start, after Venus Lighthouse, when you jumped, I believed too."_

Felix winced at the memory of the Lighthouse. Indeed, Sheba and he were safe after, but they had come so close to death, so close to dooming the world to its slow death that he was not at all fond of thinking of it.

_"Actually…"_ Isaac started, taking a step closer, his tone becoming much more curious, _"I want to know something. It's no secret how high off the ground an Aerie is, but… even if the seas had washed around its base for a while… hitting the water from that kind of fall should have killed you anyway, according to Mia. How is it you survived… or do you just work well in water?"_

Felix winced again as Isaac chuckled at his own joke. He was terrified of water, of being _in_ it anyway. Ever since the Mt. Aleph Boulder incident and his near-death in the river he couldn't stand being in a body of water, not even a bath. Being on the seas on a ship, or seeing Piers use water, or being near waterfalls, or having a shower did nothing, it was being _in_ it that shook him to his core. But, Isaac was right… a fall like that would have killed them, regardless of the water or not.

_"Yes… the water would have killed us, and I would have likely drowned had I not seen Idejima and been trying to save Sheba."_ Felix responded, trying to keep his voice level as he remembered the swirling froth and mad waves as he desperately swam towards the island while struggling to keep the unconscious Sheba above water.

Isaac didn't ask for any response, instead he stepped closer. Felix took a breath as he began to retell his story.

_"I knew as soon as I jumped, how stupid it was. I don't know what I was thinking, it didn't matter what I did, either way we would both have died, but all I could think was that I had to save Sheba, that I had to keep my promise to her after how I had fought with Saturos for her. As I fell, I heard Sheba's screams stop, her body tumbling more erratically, she had obviously passed out."_ Felix swallowed and breathed out, _"Then I saw the sea wash up over the land, covering everything. I realised how stupid I had been, but the water both scared me and gave me hope. I thought that maybe, if I could catch Sheba, I could wake her up and hit the water first to ease the blow she would feel. I would die… but she'd live. It was a longshot, I know… but I dared to hope."_

Isaac found it hard to breathe. He was so caught up in the story, all of his knowledge telling him that it shouldn't end how he knew it did. Whatever miracle occurred was surely the stuff of legend.

_"I eventually caught up to her and grabbed on to her, holding her tight as I tried to manoeuvre myself into being the first hit. As I did, I told her that I keep my promises, that I would protect her. My last ditch attempt at saying something meaningful before my death I suppose. Then… it happened."_ Felix paused, breathing a long breath as he looked to the sky, confusion coursing over his stony visage, _"Her Psynergy activated… or at least Psynergy became active within her. It was far more powerful than anything she was capable of at the time, perhaps even now. Somewhat similar to how our Psynergy protects us in battle. These purple-pink wings folded out from behind her, opening wide and gliding us out away from the area surrounding the Lighthouse. As we flew, I saw Idejima. When we finally hit the sea, I swam with all I could in its direction. I then woke up on its beach."_

_"So…"_ Isaac breathed out after a moment or two in the silence following the conclusion of the tale.

_"Sheba was the one who save us, yes. Although, that Psynergy… I asked Miss Hama before we left if she had ever heard of such power. She had not, only vague tales from the Golden Age crudely deciphered off Anemosian runes."_ Felix responded.

_"And Sheba?"_

Felix shook his head, _"Has neither recollection of such power, or the ability to recreate it to all of our knowledge. Kraden was the only one I conferred with and I have him researching it whenever he can… fruitless efforts so far."_

Isaac exhaled, shaking his head, _"Seems that girl is one hell of a mystery, first she fell from the sky, now she's growing wings. You didn't find anything about where she came from in your travels did you?"_

_"Not a thing. She, _we_, had hoped that her answers would be in Contigo and Jupiter lighthouse… seems that was where Ivan's answers rested though, not hers."_ Felix sighed. He desperately wanted to help Sheba, in any way he could. It was almost like having a second chance with his own little sister. After having abandoned Jenna for three years, and failing to make up for it in any meaningful way, he was doing his best for the Laliveran whose kidnapping he was partly at fault for, _"If you would keep what I have told you secret, we would be most grateful. Sheba doesn't need to know what happened to her."_

Isaac nodded, sighing alongside him as he went to the anchor's controls, _"Well, nothing we'll find the answer to out here, c'mon Mia makes great stew."_

Felix nodded, helping Isaac lower the anchor to steady themselves before entering the din of ecstatic chatter from the group in the cabin.

* * *

Sheba beamed gladly to the blue haired healer as she filled her bowl with some of the stew that had been prepared. The wonderful aromas of spices reminded her of home. She scooted along the table, gliding past an irate Piers, before taking a seat beside Garet who was already finishing off his second helping. She smirked as he drained the remains from the bowl and belched.

_"Polite."_ She mocked.

Garet's broad toothy grin flashed at her for a moment, before he took on a false air of apology, _"A thousand pardons, milady. In the future I shall endeavour to act the gentlemen in all that I do."_

_"Pfft, yeah right!"_ Jenna laughed as she took a seat across from them, _"The most gentlemen like thing you've ever done is help me up from the mud _after_ you pushed me into it."_

_"Ah, jeez, you still on that?"_ Garet rolled his eyes, _"That was years ago! Besides, that was after you had dumped a freezing bucket of water on my head, just after I had gotten washed."_

_"Or so you claim."_ Isaac smirked as he joined them.

Sheba giggled as the three argued over some pointless past incident that led to another and another, all of which started and ended much in the same way. Jenna or Garet did something to the other, someone would retaliate, it would escalate, Isaac would try to intervene, and they'd team up against Isaac. Shaking her head, she wondered if that was life for all children as they grew up… she didn't really know after all.

She turned her thought away from that, admittedly not difficult with everything that went on when all nine of them were gathered in one room. Kraden was sitting at the end of the table, trying to eat and read at the same time, only achieving to get half the contents of each spoonful stuck in his beard. A fact he would not realise for several hours if no one informed him.

Beside him were Mia, Ivan, and a slightly calmed down Piers. Ivan seemed to be telling some story, though the truth of whatever tales that boy spun were dubious at best, to Piers which required the blonde to be greatly animated as he threw his arms around and make loud exclamations and sound effects. All the while, Mia seemed to be confirming the legitimacy of the story to a somewhat doubtful, but nonetheless wholly attentive, Piers.

Jenna, Isaac, and Garet continued their _'discussion'_ of days and incidents past, though it had gone from the initial mocking to outright laughing at each other as they called up whatever had happened to one or all of them, and occasionally several other residents of Vale. Sheba swore she overheard something about Jenna, Garet's sister, Isaac and some cake, but dared not hear or imagine more.

She shook her head again, smiling as she tried to keep her own focus, trying to breathe easily, so as not to pry into someone's thoughts accidentally. No easy task considering the amount of life, action, and noise, currently occupying the room. Even though the room could easily hold another nine residents it was still too much for her. Ever since her powers first became such a problem she disliked being in crowds… and from that she had developed a slight claustrophobia.

It was nothing serious… but it could often best her if she let it. Still, she was relatively in control of it in these situations with her friends.

Suddenly, Garet's elbow brushed against her as he exclaimed something. Within a second one of his memories flooded into her mind in perfect clarity, every sound, every scent, every image, every feeling, everything exactly as Garet remembered it pushed itself into her mind's eye. Thankfully, it was only something silly from whatever story they were on at the minute. He and Jenna had been chasing after Isaac as they played heroes from their younger days.

Sheba quickly moved away from it, wiping her hands across her eyes both to return to the real world and be rid of the tears that were coming. She inched away from Garet, trying to escape the notice of everyone around her, no one seemed to have noticed that she had just invaded Garet's privacy. She settled a good distance from where she had been, just beyond arm's reach of the Mars Adept she had accidentally violated.

She bit down on her lip, breathing heavily through her nose as she tried to calm down. _It was nothing important, nothing that mattered_, she told herself over and over again, _it wasn't anything secret, it wasn't personal, it was a story he was openly telling… it's okay. But it could have been a secret, it could have been something only he was meant to know… you should be more careful… keep your distance…_

She was so stupid! She should have known this would happen, but no, she had to be stubborn and try to be normal when she wasn't! She was a freak! Even amongst Adepts like her she didn't fit in, there was just something wrong with her. She didn't belong. She should just leave, get them to leave her in Contigo, or confine herself to her room. It wasn't like they needed her anymore, they had a _functioning_ Jupiter Adept. One that wouldn't betray them if they so much as brushed against her when he wasn't ready. They didn't need her…

_"Are you okay?"_

Sheba's eyes shot up, her breathing quickly becoming fast as she felt a presence incredibly close to her. As Felix came into view she tried to calm herself, she knew it had been him, that it couldn't have been anything too bad, so she took a deep breath, _"Mm-hmm… fine…"_

_"Sheba, you can sit a little further away if you like, I'll sit with you."_ Felix was so kind to her.

_"Mn-mmn."_ She shook her head. She didn't want to separate from the group, to be like an outcast, or to be alienated from the others. At the same time, she didn't want to hurt them by seeing something she should never see, something that belonged to just them. No… She could handle this, and she would, not just for herself, but for them as well. She was their friend and she needn't cause worry for them.

_"Okay… but, if you need to, don't hesitate. The others would understand."_ Felix replied before he started on his own bowl, even though Garet had started on his fourth.

She didn't want the others to even know, though. That was why she had only told Felix, and why she had told him to keep it a secret. If the others knew she was… defective… they would treat her differently. Try to keep her protected, making sure everything was perfect so nothing happened. She didn't want her friends to treat her like Lalivero did, she wanted stuff to happen, the good and the bad, she didn't want to be treated differently to anyone else on the ship.

She continued to eat, despite how uncomfortable she felt at times, and did her best to join in on the commotion of the simple act of conversation during dinner. Admittedly this task may have been easier to accomplish if there were not at least four excitable Adepts at the table who insisted their voice be heard. At the very least, Felix was always at her side, his strong form reminding her she was safe there, no matter what.

* * *

Ivan yawned wide as the day finally came to an end. It had felt like forever between the end of dinner and this moment, mainly because everything had been so insufferably boring. Simply put, nothing had happened all day. During his shift with Isaac, Mia, and Piers, on guard duty not a single monster had bothered to climb on board. He had conversed with the others, but it wasn't anything to truly capture his attention, just idle chatter. It wasn't that he didn't like conversing with his friends… he just preferred something to challenge his mental faculties more.

Then he had a break, in which he filled it with a myriad of activities to try and occupy him, ranging from reading, juggling, experimenting with his Psynergy, and trying his best to convince Kraden he was becoming senile. While the latter had proved somewhat successful, he hadn't really gotten the joy from it he had been hoping for. Without having any drama, fights, or puzzles to solve in dungeons, he found himself rather lost amongst the day-in day-out work they went through.

He had tried what others, namely Garet, did during their leisure time: inactivity. It had proved frustrating, all he found himself doing was thinking, thinking and thinking. His mind would just not stop. He had never realised how active his mind actually was, or was desperate to be. His thoughts bounced constantly from one thought to another, had he wanted, he could have focused and kept it under control, but that would have defeated the purpose of trying to enter a spaced-out state. He had fallen asleep for a short time, though.

He never had such problems when he lay in bed trying to sleep. At least he could hope that his dreams proved more entertaining, or tomorrow. He called good night to the others as he, Garet, and Isaac, made their way toward their room. Within there were two bunk beds of which he had called the top bunk in both. Not that Isaac, or Garet, had minded, they much preferred to sleep closer to the ground.

_"So, guys, where we headin' anyway?"_ Ivan spoke up as he changed into his nightclothes, _"I noticed we're not exactly heading north."_

_"We're not?"_ Garet responded, looking as dumb as ever.

Isaac smirked, ignoring Garet's questioning glances, _"Kraden and Felix are heading for northern Gondowan. There's an Elemental Rock they couldn't get into before… but apparently we have the Psynergy they need."_

Ivan nodded, finding this only mildly interesting. At the very least it meant a new dungeon to crawl through and solve, monsters to fight, and hopefully for some more fun to be had.

_"Which would be?"_ Garet egged on, tired of being out of whatever loop he imagined he was being left out of.

_"Lift."_

Garet made some form of unimpressed noise as response, _"That useless thing? Man, we barely even needed that. Couldn't they just blow up whatever's in their way?"_

Ivan laughed, _"Oh, sure, Garet, like you wanted to blow up those pipes in Mercury Lighthouse instead of pushing them around. Yeah, we would have made it to the Aerie that way."_

_"As if it would have mattered! Either way we were too late to stop them and besides, we're now going about to try and _light_ the last beacon. Or did that slip your mind?"_ Garet replied smugly as he climbed under the covers of his bed.

Ivan shook his head as he climbed the ladder to his bunk above the same Mars Adept, _"No, no, I just thought I'd bring up one of your bright ideas. Like that time you decided to punch that log in the Altin ruins, despite the fact that we could have done it from a safe distance with Force."_

_"Hey, did I get us to the bottom or not?"_ Garet retorted, as Isaac chuckled from his own bed.

_"Not my point."_

_"Ah, whatever, squirt."_ Garet exhaled as he turned onto his side, _"You're just jealous that I can get things done."_

_"Yeah, Garet, that's it."_

Some idle words followed, but Ivan had long since drifted out of keeping apt attention to the words, which were probably some variant of good night as the lights were turned out at some point. Oddly enough… he was having the same problem as earlier. He couldn't calm down enough to sleep, his mind was very active… as a matter of fact it had been since Jupiter Lighthouse. Maybe it was an after effect of being so close to the Jupiter Beacon being ignited. He did recall that Mia and Isaac had been more… lively than their usual selves after their respective Beacons.

He sat up, feeling quite warm… he kicked his blanket from him, but that did nothing for him and he found himself staring at the wooden panels above him, wondering why the grain took the shapes they did.

_That's it._ He finally thought to himself.

Climbing from his bed, quietly enough to ensure he didn't wake Isaac… having no fear of ever waking Garet, he edged closer to the door and was in the hallway quick enough. He wasn't sure what he was planning to do exactly as he ascended to the common room… get some water perhaps. And he did just that, though he did wonder how the ship pumped water through it to these _taps_, as Piers called them. A question for tomorrow, he supposed.

He sank into one of the couches of the room and started taking sips from his drink. As he did, something caught his attention. At first he thought to have imagined it, but by the third time it came to him, he was sure it to be real. Turning about, his ears trying to properly pick up whatever it was he was hearing over the gentle waves, Ivan found that the door to the deck was slightly ajar, allowing the barest sliver of sparse moonlight to shine through.

Moving to it, Ivan peered through the gap, listening carefully. He could see nothing, but someone was definitely talking out there. Shrugging, he took a step out and glanced around, again, he found nothing, but the voice was still there. It wasn't until he glanced upward that he saw her. Sheba was standing in the crow's nest, her face turned upward to the heavens, illuminated by the moon's pale sheen.

Curiosity growing, Ivan quickly climbed to the ladder and began his ascent. As he drew closer, Sheba's words became louder to him, but still escaped clarity. Even as he reached the top, she was still whispering too quietly… he was amazed he had heard her in the first place. He peeked up over the edge to find her back to him as she stared up. The sky was particularly clear tonight, so there was a definite glow about the Laliveran.

_"Sheba?"_ Ivan asked as a way of announcing himself and to ask of her wellbeing.

The girl nearly jumped over the edge from the shock she received of having someone sneak up on her so late at night. As she finally glanced around and found Ivan's moonlit purple eyes, she exhaled gladly.

_"Oh, Ivan. What has you up?"_ She asked innocently, clearly trying to pretend she hadn't seemingly just been talking to herself.

Ivan shrugged as he climbed up from the ladder, _"Couldn't sleep. You?"_

_"Same…"_ She responded, though she sounded much more melancholic than he was used to hearing. He found this rather worrying.

_"You okay?"_

_"Mm-hmm."_ She responded, flashing him a smile, a _brief_ smile. It didn't convince him, but clearly she wasn't in the mood to discuss it with someone she didn't really know. Ivan recalled them having spent all of about four hours together in all the time they had known each other, and even then, only about half an hour of time with _just_ the two of them.

Honestly, Ivan wasn't sure what to do. He could leave, just say he was heading back to bed… but he felt bad about leaving Sheba alone right now. Even if she didn't want to talk, Ivan knew that just having someone nearby was a good comfort.

_"Beautiful, isn't it?"_ Sheba spoke, but so quietly, softly, that one would have had missed it if were not so silent around them.

Ivan looked at her, but her eyes were turned upward, much as they had been when he first came out. He followed her gaze to the moon high above them. It took a second or two, but he felt himself calming, relaxing as he looked up at it. His mind ceased thought and he just marvelled at the pale jewel of the night sky. Ivan exhaled slowly, breathing out an agreement of sorts to the girl at his side.

_"I wish I could touch it… that I could see it up close."_ Sheba said, her voice strained ever so slightly, _"Ivan… do you think… do you think people will ever be able to reach it?"_

Ivan doubted that really. Flight itself was for birds, not for man, and even then, they couldn't reach the moon. The only stories of anyone reaching the moon was… oh. Realisation came to Ivan like a Ragnarok to the skull. The Anemos… the moon… Sheba falling from the sky. If the stories of her origin were true, the logical assumption would be she was from the Anemos' city on the moon.

_"I'm sure we will, Sheba." _Ivan smirked as he patted Sheba on the back for support, _"I know we will."_

Sheba didn't respond, she just stared upward, her mouth slightly agape, and marvelled at the moon. Ivan with nothing left to say, simply leaned on the rail beside them, doing the same. He had never really taken time to stare at things too often, especially not up in the sky, yet, as he stared at the moon, he couldn't fathom why. There was something so alluring about it, not just it, all the stars that twinkled, the swirls of cloud that drifted by, it was all so sedative.

He turned from it in due time, not from boredom or because he became accustomed to the sight, but because the act had piqued his curiosity. He began searching for other sights, and looked down. Though it was dark, he could make out the faint lines of the sea as they brushed up against the ship, leaving just a film of foam atop it as it reflected a wavy image of the previous object of interest.

Then, by sheer chance, as he turned again, light caught in his eyes. He began to stare at the girl beside him. The moonlight was shining about her figure, it was ethereal in the way it seemed to shimmer just about her, almost similar to the effect objects took when he used Reveal, yet this was so much more… _captivating._ The golden blonde hair caught in the silver sheen, the lush green eyes reflecting the pale crescent that hung above… it was all so… amazing…

Time passed, and Ivan, having admired all he could tonight, found himself rather tired, very relaxed. He bid a sleepy good night to Sheba, who grunted in response, her eyes still turned upward, despite the fact that several clouds had gathered and obscured much of the object of her longing. Ivan didn't notice and simply returned to his bed.

Meanwhile, Sheba let a tear or two slip from her. _Pity_. That's what Ivan had felt as he answered her. She didn't want pity… she wanted someone to understand and help her.

* * *

_**That's the first chapter!  
I was a bit iffy about posting it... mainly for the Isaac/Felix scene.  
What'd you think?  
I'm think you thought: "Oh, poor Sheba. I want to hug her and keep her safe."  
Well, do review!**_

_**Till next time, lovers!  
Your friend and writer,  
Droory**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter 2!  
Thanks in advance for reading!  
And, thanks to Mr. E Box for his review!  
ONWARDS!**_

* * *

Sheba awoke that morning in a sour mood. She had spent the remainder of her waking hours dwelling over what Ivan had thought, what she had stolen from his mind, last night. _Pity_. Is that what the others thought when she spoke of her home, of longing, of having a dream that will never come true? Yes, Luna was so far away, but her people had reached it before, and sent her away from it, _abandoned_ her.

She discarded these thoughts, dwelling on them now, in this mood, would do nothing for her. Mia and Jenna were already up and gone, granted, Sheba had only come back in an hour or two before sunrise. They were probably up just as she had managed to drift off. She had no concept of time, and didn't care right now. She went through the motions, she got washed, got dressed, took her weapon in hand, and left her room. The noise of the others was audible as soon as she opened her door.

She found Piers, Garet, Ivan, and Kraden in the common room. Piers was forcing Garet to do something or other, which must have been the punishment he had promised to direct toward him for their torture over his age. He seemed to be cleaning up plates and other things. Kraden was reading while Ivan moved his stuff around without him noticing.

As she called out greetings to the others as she made her way to a press to get some fruit, Piers mentioned that some meat was still warm from earlier if she wanted it. She accepted this and dug up the said food, settling at a table and tucking into her late breakfast.

_"Hey, Sheba."_ Ivan's cheery voice came from nearby, _"How you doin'?"_

_"Leave me alone."_ She hissed. She was in no mood for his pity right now. She just wanted to eat her breakfast and then go and do whatever was asked of her, if nothing then she'd return to the crow's nest so she could avoid the others' pity.

Ivan recoiled a bit in surprise from the harsh words, _"Alright…"_ He was rather baffled by being rebuffed like that. He wasn't used to the others rejecting him unless it was warranted, such as after he pestered them.

Sheba thanked whatever gods came to mind that Ivan had left without another word. She didn't want to imagine what may have happened had he pestered her. She finished her breakfast as fast as she could, refusing to return the glances she had seen Ivan cast toward her, giving her plate to a smirking Garet and Piers, before heading outside. The salty air hit her with a force that did all it could to combat her mood.

Within seconds she felt slightly better, taking deeper breaths, hoping for the cleansing effects to continue, she made her way to the wheel. Mia, Isaac, and Jenna, smiled and offered their greetings. She waved back to them, smiling as best a smile she could muster.

_"Good afternoon, Sheba."_ Felix's deep tones came as she reached his side.

She winced a little, _"A-afternoon? S-sorry… I didn't mean to sleep in."_

Felix chuckled and instantly Sheba's spirit's soared, _"It's okay. It has been very quiet this morning, there was not much to be done."_

Sheba smiled and looked out at the sea, they were drawing very close to a beach segmented by a river meeting the sea, a river that Felix intended to sail up to reach magma Rock, as they had before trying to get into Jupiter Lighthouse. Their path into the rock had been blocked before, but Isaac had demonstrated Psynergy that solved that very problem back in Contigo.

They had sailed up this river through Gondowan before, and had made it through relatively unscathed. A monster or two had managed to climb aboard and cause some minor damage, but that was nothing when there had been three Adepts with healing Psynergies, a plethora of healing supplies, and a scholar with some amount of medical ability on board. Seems as though she was the only one unable to help anyone.

She shook her head, angry at herself for that thought and turned to Felix. The brunette was staring out at the sea before them, a small smile contentedly gracing his lips. Sheba swallowed slightly, hoping to escape his notice for a few moments longer while she drank him in… although, she would love if he would notice her. From his steely-soft earthen eyes, the ebony currents of hair, the strong, muscular, frame, to how easy it was for him to make her feel so safe, normal. Gods… if only he could _see_ her.

Felix tilted his head slightly, catching Sheba in the corner of his eye staring up at him, his smile grew wider as he did. Sheba felt her face flush, the heat spreading through all of her, hoping Felix didn't think she was being weird. She returned a smile as best she could, praying he might not notice that she was currently as red as a cherry, or that he would at least blame it on some factor other than himself.

_"S-So…"_ She stammered, trying her best to curtail any words that might have asked her what she was just doing, _"Anything we need to do?"_

Felix shook his head, the small lock of hair that stood up from his head catching each movement, _"Not right now, Sheba."_ He responded, _"Isaac, Jenna, Mia, and I, have the shift out here right now. You can rest easy for another hour or so."_

Sheba nodded, turning her face down to hide whatever embarrassment remained, and judging from the heat radiating through her cheeks it was quite a lot. She excused herself from Felix's side, retreating away hoping she didn't make too big of a fool of herself, and went to the other three. They were happily chatting about something or another, telling stories to each other of their travels.

_"Hey, Shebs."_ Jenna smiled cheerily as she approached, _"How you feelin'?"_

She frowned a bit at the question, _"Fine, why?"_

_"You were tossing and mumbling in your sleep this morning."_ Mia replied, _"Bad dream?"_

Sheba shook her head to alleviate their worries, despite the fact that Mia had hit the nail on the head. She often had troubled, restless, nights, plagued with her friends abandoning her for her unintended invasions into their minds. They left her alone, or persecuted her, for being defective…_ "Stomach was just a bit sore this morning, once I ate something it was fine. That was probably it."_ Trying not to get too emotional from Mia calling up what she had dreamt.

_"Here."_ Mia said, taking her hand in her own. She began to pulse with the soft light of active Psynergy as the silvery-blue rings encircled her. Sheba pulled back a bit, from surprise alone, but allowed Mia to do whatever she was doing. Moments later, Mia's eyes opened again, _"There. It's just a small dose of healing Psynergy, it should keep you well for the rest of the day. It won't defend against sickness, but it will keep small things like stomach aches at bay."_

Sheba glanced at her hand, before rubbing her shoulder with it, _"Oh, thanks, Mia."_ She was truly thankful. Though she had made up the line about feeling ill, the gesture itself was welcomed.

She talked with them for about a minute before she excused herself and slipped away. She made her way to the door, to make them think she went inside, before she snuck to the top of the cabin and began the climb up to her spot on the crow's nest.

* * *

Ivan was still rather lost in thought, which was odd for him, as he twirled one of Kraden's quills in his fingers. Usually he could easily sort his thoughts, deal with one and get to the next with little difficulty. Today was different though, no matter what he did his thoughts always returned to the blonde Laliveran. He just couldn't shake her from his mind, nor the image of her from the night before. He would get nothing productive done today if he could not focus.

_Must be for everything she said_, he told himself, trying to find some reason for his mind's insistence for her to remain. She'd had what Ivan would refer to as a mild mood swing. Last night she had been vulnerable, open… _sad_. This morning though, she had been completely different, dejecting, brusque, and almost rude. Maybe she just hadn't slept well, maybe she wasn't much of a morning person.

Or at least that was what he was telling himself. He knew how Sheba felt, that isolation, feeling of loneliness and abandonment. The pain, sorrow, and confusion behind why their parents had just left them. Had they not loved them? Had they done something? Of course, Ivan had found the truth to his heritage, as well as some remnant of his family. Sheba though, she was still alone, she still felt all the pain. There was also the possibility that because he had found family Sheba had felt even worse, possibly even jealous or spiteful of him for it.

Maybe he should talk with her about it… try to establish some common ground between them, form a stronger relationship than what they shared now.

Ivan allowed his gaze to wander around the room, hoping to find something to distract his attention, something to get his mind off the girl. Piers had finished _'punishing'_ Garet for now, and the two of them were conversing at the table. Kraden was, as ever, buried in some scroll or book about something or other. Ivan was still baffled that Kraden hadn't read every book ever written at this stage in his life.

He sighed, continuing to absently roll the quill about his fingers. In the occupation of his thoughts he failed to notice that Garet was trying to get his attention, and was only brought down to Weyard when the man jumped down on the couch beside him, wrapping his broad arm around his small form.

_"What's up with ya?"_ His loud voice asked, right in Ivan's ear no less.

Ivan backed away, smirking at the man, _"Quiet as ever."_

_"Mia's the quiet one."_ Garet countered, _"Besides, I asked you a question, let's hear it."_

Ivan realised that he had no idea what his redheaded friend had asked at all. He stared at him for a while, Garet staring quizzically as he did, before shrugging and giving up, _"What did you ask?"_

_"Man, you are out of it today."_ Garet smirked, just a little because there was evident worry in his tone, _"I asked what was wrong with you. Care to share?"_

Ivan paused to consider his answer. He was just thinking really… but he kept thinking about _her_, or rather his mind wouldn't let him think of anything else for long. What was it about her that was just so… lingering? Ivan fumbled with the thought which had him drop the quill he had been toying.

_"I have no idea."_ Ivan answered. It wasn't entirely untrue, after all. He wasn't sure what was wrong, really. Indeed, it was all revolving around Sheba and why she would not stay out of his thoughts, but he didn't know why, so he wasn't sure what was wrong.

Garet laughed a little, _"Not like you. Usually you can tell what's up with anyone, even yourself. Sick?"_

Ivan shook his head, _"Nah, nothing like that. I feel fine. Just thinking…"_

This seemed to greatly intrigue Garet, who leaned forward at that. Often when Ivan was _'just thinking'_ it often resulted in something interesting or worth offering advice with. That was largely the dynamic they had developed over the two years they were travelling together. Yes, they were more often than not tormenting Isaac or Mia with some ridiculous array of jokes or pranks, but they could get quite thoughtful and help each other out often enough.

It was usually Ivan who would show Garet reason or rhyme behind something that had happened or was happening, but occasionally Garet could come out with some rare gem of wisdom. Initially, it had surprised Ivan, until Garet explained his future role as Mayor of Vale, and that he'd have to get learning to not be so stupid… well… not all the time.

_"Just thinking?"_ The large man questioned, _"Doubt it. Something's got your attention. Only times you've been _'just thinking'_ are times like when we found out Hammet had been captured, or after Saturos and Menardi fell. Worried about something? Someone?"_ Clarity seemed to strike Garet after that, _"Oh, you just miss Hama right? I mean, you didn't get to spend much time together at all."_

That was a believable explanation, and not one that was lacking merit. He had been thinking of his sister rather heavily since leaving Contigo. All his life he thought he'd been abandoned, when really his parents had a vision that required him to be taken so that he could be here now. It was a lot to take in quite frankly, and he wasn't sure how he felt about it.

_"Must be."_ Ivan shrugged. It was a good dodge for now. He didn't dare mention that it was Sheba who was occupying his time. Gods knew that Garet would take full advantage of that situation, not to say Ivan wouldn't have were their roles reversed.

_"Ah, don't worry about her, man."_ Garet smirked, patting his friend on the shoulder, _"She'll be fine. And I'll be damned if I'm gonna let you die after everything we've been through. I'm telling you, you're getting home to family."_

Ivan chuckled. He always loved Garet for that. Somehow he made the constant possibility of death they faced seem slightly less morbid with his attitude toward it. Besides, Ivan knew he would keep that promise no matter what he had to do. He was incredibly loyal like that, _"Thanks, man."_

_"Now, quit being lame and tell me why the hell Piers is punishing me for stuff."_ Garet insisted.

Ivan laughed off Garet's comments and devolved into joking and laughing with each other.

* * *

_"You're sure she's alright?"_

Jenna shrugged a little as Isaac glanced in the direction Sheba had left them, _"Not really. She's been acting differently every now and then, but she was a bit shy when she first started travelling. I guess just having the four of you here as well might just be a bit new to her. I mean, she always used to hang around me or Felix, but now you and Garet are here… maybe she's feeling a little left out."_

Isaac bit his lip just a little, wondering if maybe he had been taking up too much of Jenna's time. Sure, he had missed her since she had been kidnapped, but it wasn't like she had ever really been in any danger. He supposed giving her some space might be nice for Sheba, _"Maybe I should let the two of you spend a little more time together."_

_"Or, you could spend more time with her."_ Mia interjected, smiling, _"If she got to know you better there'd be no reason for her to feel awkward around us."_

Jenna laughed a little, _"Don't worry, Mia, she'll come around. She's an energetic little scamp."_

_"Either way, that's not a bad idea."_ Isaac added, smirking at the fiery redhead at his side, _"If everyone got more familiar with each other it'd be nice."_

_"Well, I'll just go organise a big ol' meet and greet then, shall I?"_ Jenna mocked, tugging on Isaac's yellow scarf. She knew it wasn't necessarily a bad idea, but she didn't much fancy the idea of being away from Isaac after they had been reunited. She had missed him, and she had _so_ much to tell him, everything she'd seen and done. And she wanted to hear about everything he had got up to on his quest to save her. That thought of _'saving her'_ always sent her chest a flutter. It was almost storybook, a knight facing all obstacles to rescue his darling maiden.

Isaac laughed, pulling his father's scarf from Jenna's tight grip and tossing the tail back over his shoulder, _"Maybe later."_ He did still want to send more time with Jenna after all. A few days together could hardly make up for the two years apart from her. A silly part of him was afraid that if he let her out of his sight for too long she may be taken from him again. He knew it was ridiculous, but irrational fears were something everyone dealt with.

Mia smirked, laughing internally as her leader and the Mars girl's eyes met, seeing the small spark that always seemed to shine when they did. After all the stories Isaac had told of Jenna, Mia was more than sure of his feelings for the fiery girl. Judging by the returned look and smile Jenna always gave Isaac, she could guess that the feelings were mutual. Maybe they just needed a little nudge to help them along. Garet always did say they had never bothered to get together in Vale.

She shook her head a little, deciding to talk with Garet and Ivan about this at a later time and scanned around the deck away from the two who had diverged into a miniature laughing argument of some form. Mia's eyes fell onto Felix as he guided the ship forward. She raised an eyebrow as she swore she saw a faint tear on his face, but dismissed it when a wave cast sea spray up over deck and onto the Venus Adept's face.

She looked him over, dwelling on some of the stories Garet and Isaac had told of him and how they didn't understand how he had become _'evil'_. It was apparent now that he wasn't, but he was definitely changed.

_"Are you staring at my brother, Mia?"_ Jenna's voice ran into her ears.

The insinuation coloured Mia's cheeks instantly, _"N-no! I was not staring."_ She replied, trying to calm her voice after the initial outburst.

Jenna laughed, nodding, _"Of course not, you were _leering_."_ Jenna smirked, nudging the healer, _"It's okay… I'm alright with it."_

_"Jenna."_ Mia whined, burying her face in her hands when she noted that Felix had glanced over to the three of them curiously. Gods it was so embarrassing.

Isaac and Jenna merely laughed at Mia's expense.

* * *

_Sheba ran, solid red chasing her on all sides as she tried to escape. She scanned all around her, just seeing the constant red. Stopping suddenly, cool stone beneath her, she gripped the purple stone in her hand tight and wished to escape. Cold assaulted her, but she had escaped the red. She ran quickly, afraid that it may catch her if she lingered too long. She rushed, jumping across gaps and advancing up stairwells in the freezing cold._

_She stopped suddenly, a scream dying in her mouth as she almost tumbled down a hole filled with the red colour. She paused swallowing, her eyes turning all around her. Dragons stared back, their graceful, deadly, forms solid and still as she looked at them. She looked up, hoping to find some escape, any, from this place. The sky was an all-consuming darkness. No light broke through the thick veil, there were no stars, no moon, no light. It continued to spread over the world, covering it all in the hope devouring colour. Sheba glanced around, panting, struggling to rise back to her feet._

_Suddenly, light spilt into the world, a light that advanced upon her. The light began to show a form within, the form of a six-eyed beast of complete darkness, all there was were the six blood-red slits that glared at her and her friends. A roar cracked the sky in two, the light continuing its advance. Burning heat, pain, assaulted every receptor in her body. Sheba tried to scream, tried to vocalise the torture she was experiencing, but it was silenced by the screeching blare of the light's attack._

_She collapsed again, falling from whatever stance she had managed to assume. She glanced up, seeing the six eyes glaring right down on her. She gasped, images flashing in front of her. Blonde hair, a broken statue, blood, sorrow… nothingness._

The young Laliveran awoke with a start, sweat pouring down her small body. She looked up to the sky, breathing a deep sigh of relief to see its relaxing blue hue streaked with just a few white clouds. She took a deep breath, curling up into a little ball as she tried to relax, continuing to look at the reassuring blue colour above her.

_Just a dream…_ She told herself, doing her best to believe the words. She knew though, that was not entirely a dream. She'd experienced things like that before, visions, prophecy… the future. The obscurity, the images, they would have had more tangibility in a mere dream. She swallowed, rocking back and forth, hoping there was some way to avoid it. She breathed deep, looking around her, noting the surrounding mountains and trees she could see.

Slowly, testing her legs, Sheba rose to her feet and peered out. Felix was still piloting the ship, Piers and Garet were below, a few monsters recently slain. They were in the river leading upward through Gondowan. Sheba smiled a little at the progress and turned her eyes forward. Magma Rock was visible now, the billowing smoke rising from it painting the surrounding sky a murky grey-black.

Sheba swallowed at the familiar sight, but she shook her head, refusing to believe it. The black of the sky in her vision had been different, hadn't it? This was just coincidence. Her mind was still just afraid of what she had seen and was jumping to conclusions. Sheba shook her head, shaking away her doubts, and descended the ladder to the deck. She gave a cheerful wave to Garet and Piers as she advanced on Felix.

_"What I miss?"_ She asked cheerily.

Felix gave her a cursory glance, _"Where were you?"_

_"In the crow's nest. Why?"_

Felix returned his focus to navigating carefully through the river, _"We needed you a while ago. We had to call on Ivan. What were you doing?"_

Sheba frowned, her face colouring with the regret and embarrassment she felt for disappointing Felix, _"S-sorry, Felix. I fell asleep. It's just, I haven't been sleeping the best lately and I was worried so I must have ju-"_

Felix held his hand up, which quickly silenced whatever words were spilling from her mouth. The man sighed, passing the hand he had just raised down his face, before turning his deep brown eyes onto the young blonde, _"Try not to let it happen again."_

_"S-sorry."_ She voiced again ashamedly.

Felix nodded, accepting the apology, _"If you are having trouble sleeping, I would recommend talking about it with someone. Whatever is on your mind can likely be remedied with some counsel. Don't be afraid to ask."_

Sheba smiled, nodding enthusiastically at his words, making a note to ask him for that counsel once they were out of Magma Rock. She would do whatever she could to spend more time with him after all, and opening up to him about what was worrying her would bring them closer together. She smiled up to him, admiring the way his dark hair fluttered on the light breeze it was caught in.

Gods, he was so handsome, so strong. She loved the way his eyes were always filled with such determination and power, yet with such kindness and caring at the same time. She could look at him forever, she just wanted to be near him, to be with him. He must like her in some way, after all. He did jump off a Lighthouse to save her, even knowing that it would kill him too. It had been a miracle that the water had saved them.

She smiled wider as she remembered that moment, the absolute terror, and horror as her grip slipped from his. She saw the fear and sorrow flash across his face as she began to fall. He had almost been out of sight when she saw him dive after her, advancing on her as she tumbled to what would be her death. She never saw when she was saved by him, the momentum of her tumbling body and the fear having robbed her of consciousness. Still, she had always imagined it. Maybe when Felix had caught her, he had whispered promises to her, maybe kissed her forehead…

She found herself dreamily watching him, forming little fantasies in her head of their future. They'd get married, all of their friends would be there. It would be beautiful, he'd look amazing in a formal tunic and she'd look absolutely beautiful in her white gown. She blushed as she imagined him making love to her, doting over her when she was pregnant, happily raising their children together. Living happily ever after.

She was knocked from her fantasy by a rough pat on the back.

_She was staring down at the cold marble before her, her fingers gently resting on the stone. Her tears fell from her face faster than she could stop them, not that she wanted to anyway. The name engraved into the stone: Lyria, was her mother's. She deserved these tears, it was her fault that her mother had died. She was the one who had insisted on running final checks for the fifth time that week before her departure._

_Had she not foolishly insisted on that her mother would have been alive for his return. She would have embraced her happily as she stepped back into their home. She would not be buried in the earth beneath her now. She sniffed twice, wiping her eyes again, as she whispered her apologies to her mother. Felix and the others came up to her, but she insisted they leave. She needed this time alone with her mother._

_She needed the time to apologise for all he had done to her, that she had killed her. She stroked the marble stone again, whispering the apologies, allowing the salty tears to patter against the soil beneath her. She spent an hour there, her words and tears long spent, just to be near her mother for one last time. She rose to her feet, gathering some nearby flowers, being sure to only gather the best, her mother's favourite, to form a bouquet. Setting the flowers on the grave, she whispered one final apology and goodbye before she left to find her companions._

_"You know, staring can be seen as rude."_ Piers' voice whispered in her ear.

Sheba gasped as she was dragged back out of the memory. She panted, licking her parched lips. She glanced around, seeing Piers chuckling as he looked down at her. She feigned a smile, pretending only to be shocked at his sudden appearance, hoping to avoid the fact that she had just violated him. That had been one of Piers' most private and personal moments. She had no right to be privy to what he had felt at that time in his life.

Piers' gaze morphed into one of question, _"Sheba, are you okay?"_

She smiled back, doing what she could to repress the tears she felt for betraying one of her closest friends, _"Mm-hmm… just a little tired."_ She responded.

_"Apparently she has not been sleeping well."_ Felix added in, his eyes still fixed ahead of him.

Piers expression changed to one of concern, _"Truly? Is something bothering you? Do you wish to talk about it?"_

Sheba shook her head, thankful for the offer, but after betraying Piers like that he was the last one she wanted to talk with, but before she could voice this Felix cut across.

_"It'll have to wait, we're here, Garet, drop the anchor!"_ The Mars Adept quickly followed the order, _"Sheba, would you gather the others? Piers and I will secure the gangplank."_

The Laliveran girl nodded quickly, glad for a chance to be away from piers after what she had done to him. She quickly retreated inside, calling out to the others and informing them to get ready.

Ten minutes later, the nine of them were scaling the sides of Magma Rock.

* * *

Ivan coughed raggedly, struggling to breathe, as they navigated through the smoke and magma filled caverns of the volcano. It was punishingly hot, it was all Ivan could do to try and get a cool breeze to waft over the group whenever he could. Sweat was pouring off of all of them, it was almost as bad as that accursed Lamankan desert, but at least the very heat wasn't sapping their strength.

No, just the monsters within did that. It didn't help that they were all aligned with Mars, spewing flames, heat, and smoke at them, adding to the already blistering climate they struggled though. They were strong as well, easily some of the fiercest they'd faced in their long quest, but not something the eight of them couldn't handle together. Ivan took a cursory glance over the group.

Felix and Isaac were coping well with the heat, perhaps as result of their shared affinity with Mars and their sheer strength of will to progress. Sometimes Ivan doubted if any of them would have made it this far without the leadership and confidence brought by the two Venus Adepts.

Garet and Jenna seemed completely unfazed, save for the sweat running down their bodies. The strength of Mars in the air around them seemed to drive them on, enhancing their tenacity in battle, but it also made them a little temperamental and quick to act. Not that it was a change from the norm, but it was slightly more obvious than usual.

Piers and Mia were by far the worst. The complete separation from the essence of Mercury in this damned rock was playing havoc with both their patience and their Psynergy. Piers had become quite fond of spouting a few choice words which Garet had taken to referring to as _'sailor-tongue'_. Mia was just edgy and quick to snap at someone, which was a definite change in the normally quiet, shy healer. Worse still, their Psynergy was greatly weakened, and all healing was being separated between the Venus Adepts, Jenna, and some potions they had.

Ivan himself didn't feel too hindered by the invasive environment, the heat he could stand, but the lack of clean air hurt. Everything within him screamed in protest to the lack of purity in the air around him. He wanted to escape this place, to even find some reprieve. He shook his head, refocusing on the path they were following, watching as they filled a room with lava so they could progress.

His gaze fell onto Sheba as she jumped onto a platform ahead of him, crouching low to maintain her balance on it, before leaping to the ground ahead. Her hair stuck to her face with sweat, dragging its blonde colour just above her green eyes. She was panting heavily, the air obviously interfering with her focus as well. Ivan quickly followed after her, intent on talking with her to see if she was alright.

In truth, he wanted to talk with her more about her family and her thoughts about them. He knew what it felt like to feel alone in the world, but the stories of his past were nowhere near as strange as hers had been. He couldn't begin to imagine what she may have thought growing up. He knew he could just read her mind, but that was a subject of taboo, especially amongst friends. Plus, being a Jupiter Adept she would likely feel his touch within her mind.

As he caught up to her to talk though, she started first, _"Ivan, can I talk to you?"_

Ivan nodded as they trailed behind Felix as he searched for a new path through the volcano, _"Of course."_

_"I just want to apologise about this morning."_ She stated simply, her voice quiet.

Ivan raised his eyebrow at that, _"Why?"_

Sheba smirked a little, _"C'mon, you know why. You were just checking how I was, and I was rude. So, sorry."_

Ivan laughed in return to that, in all fairness he had chalked that up to her simply not sleeping well. He hadn't really dwelled on _that_ particular topic, he had been more curious as to why he was constantly thinking of her, _"Ah, you don't need to apologise. You were just tired, and I hear I can be annoying, though personally I don't see it."_

_"Oh, no, Ivan. You? Annoying?"_ Sheba commented, her smirk growing wider, _"Elements forbid anyone should ever mistake your charm for being annoying."_

Ivan found himself laugh for the first time since he had entered this rock, _"I know, yet some seem to think that's what it is. I guess people just don't understand me."_

Sheba let out a quick laugh at this. Whether or not Ivan was joking, she could relate to people not understanding him. All her life she had felt like an outcast, unable to mesh into any social circle or make true friends, _"Well, you're lucky I do then, aren't you?"_

_"Course I am!"_ Ivan exclaimed as he gave Sheba a soft punch in the arm. Sheba laughed, thankful Ivan had forgiven her so quickly. Their jovial mood was interrupted rather swiftly by shrill cries from ahead.

Their eyes darted forward to find the others battle ready as several beasts climbed from the magma in the room, while other swooped down from hollows in the walls. Focusing the Psynergy within, the two Jupiter Adepts drew their weapons as they charged to their companions' sides, ready to fight off yet another heat-heavy attack.

* * *

Sheba rolled to the side, dodging another breath of flame, before standing up back-to-back with Piers. She still felt rather uncomfortable around him for her earlier intrusion into his personal memories. Not that it mattered now, Felix always insisted personal problems were left out of combat situations. She broke away from the Lemurian, feeling him beginning to advance with a swing on something, firing a quick shot or two of lightning at a chimera. Felix cut past her quickly, his sword clanging against the tough hide of a lesser demon. While the beast was distracted Mia had assaulted it with shards of ice.

Sheba ran toward a pheonix from behind, nodding to Garet who was also advancing on it. The large man made a few swings on the creature with his axe, making the beast back away squawking while it focused on its new attacker. Sheba smirked, taking advantage of the distraction, catching the bird in a powerful tempest which sent it crashing into the rocky walls which surrounded it before it feel to the ground. Garet laughed, jumping to a new foe as he gave a thumbs up to Sheba. Sheba smirked again, glancing around the battle.

Psynergy and flame was sparking through the area, steel resounding against claw. Isaac and Ivan were occupying a two of a chimera's three heads while the other argued against its brothers, the beasts major flaw. Garet had jumped to defend Mia from a lich's attacks while she gathered her Psynergy to heal the group. Jenna and Piers were facing off against several flying enemies, Piers channelling healing Psynergy into several cuts they had received, while Felix fired stone spires at his nearest foe.

The young Laliveran darted forward, just dodging a jet of flame that had fired across the room. Sheba felt Mia's Psynergy reach her, healing the minor burns she had received during the fracas, before she struck a distracted demon with her staff. The small creature fell to the ground where she brought her boot into its spine before dodging a chimera's claws. She glanced up to find that it was the same one Ivan and Isaac had been facing off against, the third head having convinced the others to focus on her. Probably seeing her as the easiest prey.

Sheba gasped, firing a quick jolt into the closest face. The beast recoiled, the two undamaged faces retaliating with a jet of flame each. Sheba barely evaded the attack, noting that Ivan and Isaac had caught its attention again and were quick to fell it. Sheba's eyes went wide as she found herself face to skull with a lich who quickly brought its staff into the side of her face.

The strike entirely spun Sheba around before she felt another strike into her back which forced her to the ground. Coughing, struggling to climb back to her feet, she watched the battle through her momentarily blurred vision. Jenna was on her knees, panting feverishly as Mia crouched next to her. Garet and Piers were fending off any monsters while she was healed. Felix was advancing on her, obviously to fend off her attacker.

A shadow loomed over her, she glanced up, firing lightning as the snout of a lesser demon hovered above her. The beast recoiled with a roar as the electricity worked its way through his system, but in his pain he kicked his hoof forward, colliding with Sheba's stomach and knocking her into a nearby wall. Sheba felt something warm spurt from her mouth as she collided with the jagged rocks of the wall, her vision quickly fading. She was sure she heard someone scream her name.

* * *

_**So, what do you think?  
At first I was slightly hesitant about writing. I hit some writer's block with it, and lack of views made me think I should delay, but I thought: "Screw that! I'm powering through!"**_

_**Anyway, thanks for reading.**_

_**Your pal,  
Droory**_


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